utility definition | Dictionary.com

u⋅til⋅i⋅ty

[yoo-til-i-tee]

noun, plural -ties, adjective

–noun

1.	the state or quality of being useful; usefulness: This chemical has no utility as an agricultural fertilizer.

2.	something useful; a useful thing.

3.	a public service, as a telephone or electric-light system, a streetcar or railroad line, or the like. Compare public utility (def. 1).

4.	Often, utilities. a useful or advantageous factor or feature: the relative utilities of a religious or a secular education.

5.	Economics. the capacity of a commodity or a service to satisfy some human want.

6.	the principle and end of utilitarian ethics; well-being or happiness; that which is conducive to the happiness and well-being of the greatest number.

7.	Computers. utility program.

8.	utilities, stocks or bonds of public utilities.

9.	a grade of beef immediately below commercial.

–adjective

10.	(of domestic animals) raised or kept as a potentially profitable product rather than for show or as pets: utility breeds; utility livestock.

11.	having or made for a number of useful or practical purposes rather than a single, specialized one: a utility knife.

12.	designed chiefly for use or service rather than beauty, high quality, or the like: a utility vehicle; utility furniture.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME utilite < OF utelite < L ūtilitās, equiv. to ūtil(is) useful (see utile ) + -itās -ity

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utility program

–noun Computers.

system software used to perform standard operations, as sorting data or copying data from one file to another, for application programs or other system software.

Also, utility.

Origin:
1960–65

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To utility

u·til·i·ty (yōō-tĭl'ĭ-tē)

n. pl. u·til·i·ties

The quality or condition of being useful; usefulness: "I have always doubted the utility of these conferences on disarmament" (Winston S. Churchill).
A useful article or device.
1. A public utility.
2. A commodity or service, such as electricity, water, or public transportation, that is provided by a public utility.
Computer Science A utility program.

adj.

Used, serving, or working in several capacities as needed, especially:
1. Prepared to play any of the smaller theatrical roles on short notice: a utility cast member.
2. Capable of playing as a substitute in any of several positions: a utility infielder.
Designed for various often heavy-duty practical uses: a utility knife; a utility vehicle.
Raised or kept for the production of a farm product rather than for show or as pets: utility livestock.
Of the lowest U.S. Government grade: utility beef.

[Middle English utilite, from Old French, from Latin ūtilitās, from ūtilis, useful, from ūtī, to use.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Utility

U*til"i*ty\, n. [OE. utilite, F. utilit['e], L. utilitas, fr. utilis useful. See Utile.]

1. The quality or state of being useful; usefulness; production of good; profitableness to some valuable end; as, the utility of manure upon land; the utility of the sciences; the utility of medicines.

The utility of the enterprises was, however, so great and obvious that all opposition proved useless. --Macaulay.

2. (Polit. Econ.) Adaptation to satisfy the desires or wants; intrinsic value. See Note under Value, 2.

Value in use is utility, and nothing else, and in political economy should be called by that name and no other. --F. A. Walker.

3. Happiness; the greatest good, or happiness, of the greatest number, -- the foundation of utilitarianism. --J. S. Mill.

Syn: Usefulness; advantageous; benefit; profit; avail; service.

Usage: Utility, Usefulness. Usefulness has an Anglo-Saxon prefix, utility is Latin; and hence the former is used chiefly of things in the concrete, while the latter is employed more in a general and abstract sense. Thus, we speak of the utility of an invention, and the usefulness of the thing invented; of the utility of an institution, and the usefulness of an individual. So beauty and utility (not usefulness) are brought into comparison. Still, the words are often used interchangeably.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : utility

Spanish: utilidad,

German: die Nützlichkeit,

Japanese: 有用性

More Translations »

utility

1391, "fact of being useful," from O.Fr. utilite "usefulness" (1291), earlier utilitet (12c.), from L. utilitatem (nom. utilitas) "usefulness, serviceableness, profit," from utilis "usable," from uti (see use). As a shortened form of public utility it is recorded from 1930.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Utility

1. An economic term referring to the total satisfaction received from consuming a good or service.

2. A company that generates, transmits and/or distributes electricity, water and/or gas from facilities that it owns and/or operates.

Investopedia Commentary

1. A consumer's utility is hard to measure. However, we can determine it indirectly with consumer behavior theories, which assume that consumers will strive to maximize their utility. Utility is a concept that was introduced by Daniel Bernoulli. He believed that for the usual person, utility increased with wealth but at a decreasing rate.

2. Since consumer demand for utilities does not change dramatically with a change in price, these companies are regulated by the state or provincial and federal governments.

utility

A business that provides an essential service, generally under government regulation. Electric companies, gas transmission firms, and local telephone companies are utilities.

Main Entry: util·i·ty
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ties
1 : fitness for some purpose or worth to some end
2 a : PUBLIC UTILITY b : a service or commodity provided by a public utility utilities>; also : equipment or material used in providing such a service or commodity utilities —Ware v. Public Serv. Company, 412 Atlantic Reporter, Second Series 84 (1980)>
3 plural : stocks or bonds of utility companies <utilities performed poorly>

utility
utility software

utility

in economics, the determination of the prices of goods and services.

Learn more about utility with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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